Washington, DC -- Today the Senate passed the bi-partisan infrastructure deal.
Clean Water Action Campaigns Director, Lynn Thorp, released the following statement:
“The Senate’s passage of the bi-partisan infrastructure deal is an important first step towards long-overdue investment in our nation’s infrastructure- but it falls well short of what is needed to address the climate crisis and protect the health of our communities. $15 billion for replacing lead service lines is a good down payment, but is not enough to remove the largest source of lead in drinking water. Now the Senate’s job is to pass a budget resolution and reconciliation bill to fully fund the additional investments needed to safeguard our water, build a clean water-clean energy future, and avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
Senators should ensure that we invest the $45 billion needed to replace all lead service lines across the nation, that we provide funding for innovative programs to protect and improve our water infrastructure, reimagine our outdated transportation system, and enact a clean electricity standard. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put lead in water behind us and pass meaningful federal climate policy -- let’s not miss it."
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Since the organization’s founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power to the table. www.cleanwater.org